Worms: Reloaded arrives! Tiny violent nostalgia ensues!
2D is making a comeback thanks to the arrival of something not anticipated but certainly welcome; a brand new old school Worms game for the PC!
Released on Thursday 26th of August, Worms: Reloaded is a true homecoming for a game series that sold 25 million copies over 15 years of sequels and reinventions. Ten years since Worms: Armageddon, the series is returning to its roots with a 2D approach to the game; something veteran gamers will most likely be pleased to see. Worms thrived on simplicity; two or more teams of soldiers on a 2D battlefield, able to dig or climb around each other and aim weapons based on power and wind speed to pull off amazing moves. Make the soldiers into worms, fighting over places like Hell and the desert, with weapons like the Concrete Donkey and you have a comedic masterpiece with startling strategic complexity.
Naturally the features of the previous games will be kept intact. It wouldn’t be Worms with the Holy Hand Grenade and the Sheep. This is not just a re-release though; plenty of new features are being introduced to every facet of gameplay. 47 is the weapon count being given so far by Team 17, with 14 brand new weapons such as the Super Bunker Buster, Ferrets, Poison Strike, Worship, Sentry Gun, Electromagnet and Buffalo of Lies! Information released so far also boasts ‘HD visuals’ but quite that that means regarding cartoon worms is hard to say; nevertheless it does mean that this is going to be optimized for modern resolutions and will be up-to-date (playing the old Worms on a new machine can look quite unpleasant). There will be new and old landscapes; exactly which is unknown but we have seen a London cityscape and cheese world as well as true classics like the low gravity moon. The physics have been updated as has the AI, with seven settings that vary both difficulty and style of play.
One aspect that always pleases in the Worms games is customisation. Individual Worms will still be customisable with voice packs, helmets (70 of them!) and the like. Worm skin and victory dances are two of the new customisation options. The voices were always key to the humour and that will certainly not change, with 50 of the old voices being re-mastered and 20 new ones being introduced; information is limited but one of them will be called ‘Cheese’. When you read a sentence that ends with ‘Cheese’, you know that Worms is back in your life. Level customisation promises to be more detailed than ever and level types with much more vertical space promise to be amusing. Levels for death matches will be randomised as with previous instalments, to give a huge variety of games.
We can look forward to 35 single player missions and 30 advanced missions in the Warzone Campaign, plus a Bodycount Mode that sees one worm last as long as possible against waves of enemies. More options for Worm customisation can be unlocked with currency won in these single player modes. Naturally many players will be looking forward to multiplayer, which will be done with up to 4 players, locally or online with Steamworks support.
Worms: Reloaded is going to be released on Steam, the perfect vehicle for this kind of easily accessible spare time gaming. Some would say that Worms has had its day but a return to its roots should be something to get excited about. This will be fun, easy to pick up and play and if it has the luck of its predecessors, be the source of many an inter-friend feud. Frankly it’s good to hear from older PC developers and great to see this kind of game still being made. Team 17, fire when ready…
Worms fans will be able to pre-order Worms: Reloaded from Thursday 29th July, with bonuses including a 10% discount, 24 hours early access to the game and exclusive in-game items to enhance your chosen team. Unfortunately a £17.99 price tag may put some people of what is essentially a classic 2D game, but the new features and visuals should still attract a crowd of wriggly homicidal veterans.
To pre-order Worms™ Reloaded, go to http://store.steampowered.com/app/22600
